How To Wash A Knee Brace
If you wear a knee brace for an extended period of time, certain odors will begin to develop which are not only unpleasant, but may force you to get rid of the knee brace altogether if not dealt with quickly. To prevent that from happening, I have provided a list of tips that you can use on how to wash a knee brace.
Tips On How To Wash A Knee Brace
Tip 1 – The first thing I recommend is to read the instructions manual that came with your brace. It should provide some basic information on how to wash it and maintain it.
Tip 2 – For all non-metal type braces, simply soaking the material (foam, plastic, neoprene, etc.) in cold water mixed with a small amount of detergent. For metal-supported braces, you can remove the material from the brace and soak it, however keep in mind that some material may be a bit difficult to put back on afterwards. Soaking instructions:
- Fill a tub or sink with water
- Add detergent (1 tablespoon per 2-3 gallons)
- Soak the material
- Wash the material by moving it around with your hands and kneading the material.
- Rinse, rinse and rinse again.
Do not use an excessive amount of detergent. When you rinse the material afterwards, make sure that all the soap has been rinsed away. This is extremely important because leftover soap may breed bacteria and mildew over time, causing additional odors to develop which defeats the purpose of what we are trying to accomplish.
Tip 3 – Use specialized products designed for cleaning sports equipment. For suggestions on products to use, refer to our post “Washing a Knee Brace – The Products“.
Tip 4 – Some people simply put their entire knee brace (metal, material and all) in the washing machine on gentle cycle (with cold water). They insist that the trick is to use a small amount of detergent and if possible, use an extra rinse cycle to ensure all the soap is gone before air-drying it.
Tip 5 – One final step for metal-supported braces is to lubricate the hinges. Just use a light touch of red grease or auto grease and you should be good to go.
It is highly recommended that you try these tips before the odors develop. If your knee brace already smells funky, it may take all of these tips combined to get rid of the smell and even then it might be too late. We hope that you found this post useful and that now you know how to wash a knee brace, the proper way.
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The Author
Dan H.
Runner, obstacle race junkie & knee pain connoisseur. Constantly searching for new and improved techniques and products that can help relieve knee pain and provide better knee support.
Bruce Reid
I’m getting a rash only on the right side of my knee after using my Mueller wrap around neoprene brace. It itches pretty good and it’s kept me from wearing it. I’ll follow the washing instructions to see if it subsides. What do you think?
TheKneeBraceGuy
Hi Bruce – I’ve seen it before where some people are sensitive to neoprene material. You may need to look into something like the Donjoy Drytex wrap around brace. It uses a different type of material. But definitely try the washing instructions first, since it could just be something in the material that needs to be washed out. If you don’t want to change braces, you can also try a really thin spandex “undersleeve” to go under your brace. Something like: VIPER Compression Knee Sleeve . Good luck!